Blood pancakes and fried bees: 5 dishes around the world not everyone will dare to try. Photo

We always try to taste dishes and flavor combinations that are unusual for us in each new country. In Mexico, it's tacos, in Belgium - waffles and chocolate, in Egypt - falafel, and so on.

But few people know about the real national delicacies that are not as popular among tourists as the advertised food. Only true daredevils can force themselves to try them. OBOZREVATEL is offering to learn about 5 national dishes around the world that are truly unique.

1. Blood pancakes - Norway, Latvia, Finland

• Price: In Latvia, a package of ready-made pancakes (400 g) costs about 3 euros (almost 100 UAH).

These are ordinary pancakes, but instead of milk, they contain fresh pork blood, less often cow or deer one. Sometimes they are served with fried pork or venison, but more often they are eaten for breakfast with berry jam. They taste similar to our usual blood sausage.

2. Fugu fish, Japan

• Price: one fish costs about 34,000 Japanese yen (10 thousand hryvnias) in a restaurant.

There are many rumors about this exotic dish. After all, it is known that if fugu is cooked incorrectly, you can die from it. That's because this fish contains tetrodotoxin, a nerve agent that is about 1200 times more dangerous than potassium cyanide. To kill an adult, 1 mg of this substance is enough. And one such fish is enough to kill almost fifty people.

However, thrill-seekers still decide to try this delicacy as a person's limbs and jaws may fail while eating the fish. Thus, chefs have to keep an eye on guests and, if anything, immediately provide first aid.

3. Escamoles, Mexico

• Prcie: 40 dollars (1,100 UAH) for 500 g

This traditional Mexican dish is based on the eggs of giant black ants. The country has variations in their preparation: raw or fried, with tacos and guacamole, or stewed with onions and chili peppers. Ant eggs are similar in texture to soft cheese. The high price of escamoles is explained by the fact that they are extracted from deep anthills teeming with aggressive insects. However, it is still worth trying the dish, as it is not only considered a delicacy, but also tastes good.

4. Fried bees, Ukraine

• Price: 85 UAH per serving

This unusual appetizer is prepared in one of Kyiv's modern restaurants with experimental Ukrainian cuisine. It is served with honey biscuits, honeycomb, and a basil leaf. It's also interesting that the menu has a note next to the name that the dish is spicy. The fact is that the bees are fried right with the sting, so there is a high probability that it can get stuck in your tongue or prick your palate while eating.

5. Balut, Philippines

• Price: 12 pesos (16 UAH) per piece

The Filipinos believe that balut is a powerful male aphrodisiac, so they eat it almost every day in the evening. But eating such a dish is like eating a live duckling, as it is essentially an egg with a 16-18-day embryo. That is, the fetus already has a formed beak, cartilage, and plumage. Such a boiled egg is cracked like a regular chicken egg, salted, the amniotic fluid is drunk, and then the embryo is cleaned completely and eaten.

An advice to those who want to try this dish for the first time: try not to look at it while eating.